


Count on Me

by xladysaya



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, M/M, Middle Blocker Zine, Taichi hates his resting bitch face, Tendou loves it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-26
Updated: 2018-08-26
Packaged: 2019-07-02 14:00:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15797988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xladysaya/pseuds/xladysaya
Summary: Taichi thinks about his life and his struggles, and how his best friend never fails to be there for him every step of the way. It's no wonder they fit together so perfectly.





	Count on Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello again! If I'm lucky this will be a triple posting weekend but we'll see...
> 
> Anyways, this was my piece for the [Middle Blocker Zine!](https://middleblockerzine.tumblr.com/) I was so happy to be involved with this lovely zine, especially since I don't often get to write rarepairs. Fun fact, I love Kawanishi so much lol. I hope you enjoy! Also sorry about the weird spacing of this fic, I had to make it a certain way for the zine and idk what happened when I coped it over :))) Hopefully it's not too bad!

Taichi doesn't have a bad temper.

Quite the opposite actually. He considers himself fairly neutral when it comes to most situations. Sometimes he can get annoyed at small things, like obnoxious laughs and stupid drivers, but he's the last person to snap or blow up at someone for no reason.

He prides himself on it, can't help it.

Downstairs he hears his mother yell at his dad, and there's a loud, deliberate crash.

Another broken dish, he supposes. He'll be told to clean it up later, so he guesses he'll find out then.

Taichi frowns at the ceiling of his bedroom, though it's not a drastic change in his expression. He's always frowning. Always glaring. Or, that's what everyone says about him.

_"Kawanishi-kun is so cute! But he looks so mean...I don't know if I should ask him for his notes..."_

_"What's wrong with you huh? You always look like you're having a shit day man!"_

_"Kawanishi-san, you should tell your son Taichi he needs to smile more."_

_"Is he even happy he scored that point? What a prick..."_

Yeah. That's just how it goes.

Again though, Taichi doesn't consider himself an angry person, not by a long shot.

The yells from downstairs get louder, and Taichi reaches over to his nightstand with a sigh, ready to block out the vicious noise with the playlist Tendou had sent him earlier that day.

The music is soothing, the lyrics just ridiculous enough to remind Taichi that  _yes, Tendou totally made this himself._ Taichi laughs, twirling his headphone cord in his fingers as the notes loosen the tension in his body.

But his dilemma won't leave him alone.

'Resting bitch face' would be putting it lightly, he thinks. He knows he looks mean okay? He's seen the family reunion and birthday party pictures, he doesn't need to be reminded that he has an issue.

Damn.

Taichi pouts, turning onto his side.

It's not his fault his face looks so pissed all the time. He's not aware of it 24/7, and it's not something he can up and change right off the bat.

And he figures at the end of the day, he doesn't care. People can judge him all they want, he knows who he is on the inside.

In fact, now that he thinks about it, Taichi  _loathes_  bad tempered people. They get too worked up and bring others down (not to mention how sore their throats must be from all that damn yelling), and it's not a personality trait which works well in Taichi's life. In  _volleyball_. Which really, might as well been a synonym for Taichi's whole existence.

The thought eases his nerves a little more, as does the quick text from Tendou about the movie they're going to see next weekend.

He wonders if Tendou can sense it, when Taichi needs him.

Taichi smiles, and though he's not physically on the court at the moment with the other boy, he squirms in his bed, eager to change that.

Playing would sure help calm him down anyways, but it would also mean he'd have to go downstairs, so he passes on the thought.

He feels his phone vibrate again on his chest, and he picks it up eagerly like he always does.

For him, as embarrassing as it sounds, Tendou is his ideal person. The opposite of the spectrum. Where Taichi appears withdrawn and agitated on the outside, Tendou is boisterous and expressive in ways so grand, Taichi used to have a hard time telling truth from false. For a lot of people, the redhead is too much. Too eccentric, too noticeable, too  _everything_. But Taichi has never been too  _anything_  in his life except too distant, no matter what he does to change it. Tendou is the first person to see and appreciate Taichi for things other than his bleak lack of expression, and as a result, Taichi really can't get enough of him.

They fit like that.

**Taichi** : sounds good, just tell me what I owe you for the ticket  
 **Satori** : Taiiichiiii, what kind of commentary is that? That trailer was supposed to blow your mind!

Taichi rolls his eyes, but his fingers are already typing back. Normally, Tendou is right, like he usually is. Goddamn him.

Taichi should've responded more ecstatically, more upbeat. But well, it felt too fake right then.

**Taichi** : idk, it feels pretty blown  
 **Satori** : ....  
 **Satori** : you're frowning

Taichi's brow furrows at the suddenness, and at the same time, he hears his parents stomp down the hall through his headphones, the yells closer and louder.

**Taichi** : when am I not frowning?

The little bubble which tells him Tendou is typing makes Taichi weirdly anxious. It shouldn't since he's used to this. He's gotten over the panic which came with initially trading numbers with the other middle blocker. The worry of being interesting or entertaining enough...those fears are gone. The obnoxious butterflies are  _not_ , but Taichi has grown to expect those too.

He knows what to expect before he even reads Tendou's new messages, but it doesn't make the electricity travel up his body any less.

Because sometimes...sometimes Tendou just  _knows_ , and it makes Taichi's heart and lungs  _squeeze_.

**Satori** : mmm  
 **Satori** : I guess  
 **Satori** : but you're frowning for real this time

The words lack punctuation because Tendou doesn't see the point in it, the slam of a door down the hall takes the place of a period just fine.

Taichi closes his eyes, and wills himself to relax his face, knowing it still looks as pissed and disgruntled as always. But if Tendou were there, he'd know it to be anything but.

In truth, maybe Taichi doesn't have a neutral personality at all. Maybe he's as emotional and impassioned as Tendou is, all his feelings swimming below a calm surface, and he's quietly bursting at the seams.

But rather than pour his heart out explicitly, he tells Tendou only what he needs to for the other to get it, and that's never been a lot.

**Taichi** : yeah, guess I am

Tendou sends him another playlist after about a minute of silence, and the songs on it are more soothing and positive this time around. Taichi smiles, big and bright, and no one can tell him he's not.

\--

Taichi is eleven years old when he feels the rush of block for the first time, when his addiction starts for both the sport he loves, and the boy he blocks beside.

He jumps up on pure instinct, his feet aching and his forehead sweating from a long practice game in his gym class. He doesn't really know why he'd been trying so hard in the first place. Something had simply clicked in him at the start of the game, and when all his teammates began to move slower, when all the plays became careless, Taichi still put in one hundred percent of his effort.

The reward for this is a high he'd never get tired of, a drug administered with a fast beating heart and a swift leap off the ground.

The sting against his arms feels hard enough to leave welts, but it takes his breath away to see the ball bounce off his forearms, hitting his opponent's side of the court with a deafening  _slam_.

Completely shut out.

The realization travels up his spine and along his nerves, and nothing is the same after that.  
  


His arms are red and burning, and no one else seems nearly as into the game as he is, but the moment is everything to him, and he knows he could play volleyball forever and a day.

He's not the only one.

"Whoa, how did you know where the ball was going?"

Taichi, who is tasked with helping put the net away once the final point is scored, jumps at the voice. He spins around, and his shock doubles.

The boy in front of him is a little shorter than him, but he stands out more than anyone Taichi has ever seen. His eyes are too wide and searching to look natural on his chubby face, his arms long and hanging at his sides.

Taichi is young, so he admits it to himself, the guy looks weird. Not only that, but Taichi knows  _exactly_  who he is, because how could he not? Shouts and whispers of the school's resident  _freak_  or  _monster_  are hard to miss, no matter how much Taichi doesn't care.

Still, he's wary, because he knows nothing about the redhead in front of him, and whether or not he deserves those cruel nicknames in the first place.

But Taichi also can't resist talking about volleyball, and anyone willing to indulge him for once instead of avoiding him like the plague are already off to a good start in his book.

"The setter kept favoring his best friend for the spikes, so it was easy to guess he'd toss to him for the last point," Taichi says, picking up stray balls around the court. He's being followed, but the redhead's hovering isn't bothersome.

In fact, Taichi welcomes the company, no matter how strange.

He can see the skip in the redhead's step at the subject of volleyball, and Taichi can relate. His nerves are still on fire, and he bites his lip, wishing the game didn't have to end.

"Ah I see, I hadn't noticed, so I guessed wrong," the other says, and there's a shrill whine in his voice which makes Taichi actually laugh. Because yeah, he'd have been pissed too if he'd misjudged.

The redhead's eyes get wider, an impossible feat in Taichi's mind, and his laugh dies.  _Maybe I'm being awkward...shit..._

There's a brief, strained silence while Taichi continues cleaning, but his eyes won't leave the redhead's shocked expression. Taichi arches a brow, too afraid to ask the question on his mind.

_The hell?_

"You smiled," the other boy says, and the awe in his voice is enough to make the back of Taichi's neck burn.

Well, no one has said it  _that_  way before.

"Yeah I...I do that," Taichi replies, dumbly, and curses himself a second later, his face falling back into his natural scowl.

All of a sudden, the other boy is laughing so loud the rest of the gym is staring at them, and Taichi groans, because he can practically hear the new whispers going around.

_Do you think that Kawanishi kid is friends with the freak?_

_It would make sense, they're both no fun to be around._

Yeah, sounds about right.

Taichi is coming to the age where he cares less and less though, far too used to being misconstrued for every single thing he does.

So he focuses back on the redhead, pouting to himself. "Hey, what's so funny?"

The other contains his giggles poorly, but Taichi can understand him well enough. "Nothing! Sorry sorry! I was surprised! I figured you couldn't smile, like a medical condition or something."

Taichi straightens like a rod, rigid and humiliated. It's nothing he's not accustomed too, but somehow it hurts in that moment, maybe because he'd been riding the high of the game. He knows he always looks unhappy, upset for some reason or another.

But...he doesn't like that he looks that way even while he's playing volleyball. Today is the first time he's ever played, and he loves it so much already.

Apparently, it doesn't show.

Taichi is ready to tell the other to buzz off and find his own private place to sulk until the school day is over, when the redhead continues.

"Everyone says you're never happy, so I wanted to see for myself, but you looked like you were on cloud nine scoring that last point, even with that frowny mug of yours," he says, and he's laughing again a second later, unperturbed by Taichi's stunned expression.

Taichi looks stupid. He knows he does, like a dear in the headlights, and his hands drop the ball he'd been holding as a foreign warmth envelops him.

_I...looked happy?_

The words don't really process right, but the emotions rage regardless. His emotions always do. That's the screwed up part.

Taichi is a real cry baby on the inside, little things make him happy every day, from his favorite songs to a good book. But no one notices, and nowadays he doesn't expect them to.

But today, someone did.

The other boy continues to babble in front of him, and Taichi can't object, doesn't want to. Like a soft blanket, the pleasant feeling in his veins continues throughout lunch as he sits near his new and unexpected friend. It persists when he gets home, and they text for the first time.

It even lasts until the week after, when they join a community volleyball club together.

For a long time, Taichi didn't know how to explain the feeling, but now he knows it simply comes with being around the other boy.

Of course, he learns this boy's name is Tendou Satori, and that his guesses are seldom wrong, but that with Taichi, Tendou never needs to guess.

\--

He notices right away how Tendou is. Or, how he wants people to  _think_  he is.

So expressive. An open book, carefree, only hiding his intentions on the court.

They stick together throughout middle school, and as much as Taichi hates admitting it, they're practically glued at the hip.  
  


Going to Shiratorizawa together is a dream of theirs, and they do whatever it takes to make it. He worries about his lack of expression hindering him from making the team despite his obvious skill, but Tendou has enough energy for the both of them (and probably about fifty more people), and his personality overshadows Taichi’s in the best way.

To say Taichi feels grateful would be an understatement.

“Geez Taichi, you’re practically vibrating, calm down,” Tendou says with a smirk as they walk home. It’s Taichi’s turn to host their after school “study” session, but he knows deep down they’ll just end up watching old volleyball matches and playing videogames.

Taichi snorts, because he really doubts he was vibrating. In fact, next to Tendou, he probably looks a little too stiff. The redhead hasn’t stopped skipping or jumping since they’d left the school. But Tendou has it right, as he usually does. Taichi is  _ecstatic_ , and he could climb the world’s tallest mountain right then if asked.

They jostle each other all the way home, proudly able to call themselves best friends and teammates now.

Of course, during practice, and really every other moment, Tendou shouts his excitement and smiles too wide. Taichi is used to this. Again, Tendou is vibrant and dynamic where Taichi resembles more of a statue.

Although Taichi likes his teammates, he can tell they haven’t completely warmed up to him yet. When everyone cheers aloud, Taichi simply stands there, same blank expression on his face while a storm rages in his chest.

It’s okay though. They’ll come around. That’s what Tendou thinks, and Taichi never has much reason to doubt him.

Well, in most things.

See, the thing about Tendou is that he only  _seems_  like an open book. If anything, Taichi comes to realize that he has more issues communicating than Taichi does. It might be hard to discern what Taichi actually feels from his face and actions, but when asked, he doesn’t have much trouble coming clean.

_“You’re making me feel kind of left out.”_

_“I was worried when I didn’t hear from you last night.”_

_“That playlist you gave me was amazing.”_

It gets to the point where he makes Tendou blush on accident, and the redhead stutters and chokes on his words for the first time, complaining that Taichi is far too blunt for his own good. Taichi’s entire body heats up all the same, and the rest of their study session that day ends up veiled by some unknown tension.

So yeah, Taichi can express himself in his own ways. After all, words are really all he has.

But Tendou’s emotions never have an outlet. Taichi finds this out the first time Tendou gets openly bullied in middle school. The kids are punks and refuse to let him play a set with them, and Taichi sits out with him in defiance. If he can’t play with Tendou, it’s not worth it. Tendou is still all jokes, all smiles. His cunning guesses are spot on and eventually the other kids get tired of his commentary and leave the court free. Taichi is impressed with Tendou’s wit, his sheer confidence and ability to laugh off all the cruel insults.

But when they get home, he sees the walls crumble. Tendou is agitated and shaking, but he refuses to admit it, as if Taichi can’t tell. The redhead wipes his eyes one too many times, and Taichi can’t bear to pretend anymore. It takes over an hour to coax a confession out of Tendou, and when he does, the floodgates open.  _“It hurts…when they say shit that’s not true.”_

The statement hits Taichi like bricks upon more bricks. And yeah, he can definitely relate. Taichi doesn’t really know how to cry anymore, but he feels his heart ache, and he only hopes Tendou realizes it.

Of course, he does. They get into the habit of comforting each other with soft hugs and subtle touches, when they both feel the familiar pain. When people whisper about Tendou, or criticize Taichi, or when Taichi’s parents scream too loud.

They’re together through it all.

Even now in high school, Tendou still struggles to tell Taichi when he’s upset, when he feels like crying. But Taichi notices, and it’s only fair that he does. Understanding each other goes both ways, and Taichi never hesitates to pull Tendou close when he needs it.

  
\--

In the end though, they grow slowly, and Taichi prefers to not rush progress. His teammates can tell when he’s on fire, when he’s drunk off a good block, and he welcomes their high fives with a slight smile.

It’s the most he can manage, but it speaks volumes.

And naturally, Tendou makes his own progress too. After all, Taichi was always the blunt one, the upfront one, the one who initiated the tough conversations.

But now, staring blankly at Tendou behind the school gym, Taichi thinks he might’ve misjudged him a bit.

“I like you.”

It’s an oddly placed confession. Taichi had been worried throughout the whole practice that maybe he’d finally upset Tendou somehow, but now…

Wow, they’re both idiots.

Taichi stalls mid-step, letting the words wash over him. They hit him gently, but steal his breath all the same.

_“I like you.”_ It echoes, over and over, like his head can’t get enough.

_You…_

Tendou bows a little, eyes fixed on the floor, and he’s biting his lip so hard he might break skin and—  _dammit, I told you to quit doing that._

It’s less annoying than usual though. Instead, Taichi feels like he might explode with joy, and that probably wouldn’t be romantic…having to scrape his remains off the walls. The messed-up thought is evidence enough of how he’s let Tendou influence him, and Taichi only feels happier at the observation.  He’s grinning. Absolutely  _grinning_ , like a madman.

A delicate mixture of shock, embarrassment, and familiarity wash over him, and naturally…

Ah, screw it. He should probably just say it huh?

But well, if Tendou is really trying to show how he’s grown, the least Taichi can do is  _show_  how he feels.

So he does.

Taichi grabs Tendou’s hand, pulling him into a hug which sends them both to the floor, and the redhead’s eyes widen even more than usual as he’s pulled down. Taichi, because he’s a loser with no knowledge of what he’s supposed to do or how to react, buries his face in his best friend’s neck, taking in the smell of cinnamon and something specifically  _Tendou_.

The redhead coughs from the suddenness, but Taichi is too happy to care. His grin doesn’t go away. It makes sense too, how Tendou is the one who ultimately keeps the cursed expression on his face.

It makes Taichi laugh, along with Tendou’s stunned, blushing face as they pull apart. 

Taichi’s smile turns smug, and he bumps their heads together, and yup, Tendou looks like a fire truck now. Mission accomplished.

Taichi just laughs into the small space between them, unable to contain himself, and it’s pretty much the best feeling in the world.

“I like you too.”

Later, they find out that the whole team had been betting on when they’d get together, but Taichi is too overjoyed to plot his revenge yet.

Eventually, he thinks. Eventually.

\--

When he’s done replaying all his favorite memories, Taichi knows his parents have gone to bed. The house is quiet, but there’s tension running through his body, and he has no plans of sleeping any time soon.

He’s waiting for someone after all, and they’ve never let him down before.

There’s a knock at his window, and Taichi takes out his earphones instantly. Tendou’s playlists are his favorite, but the redhead himself is much preferred.

_Ugh, I’m getting cheesier_. So be it.

Tendou’s smile on the other side of the window is soft, with just a hint of mischief present, and Taichi can’t help but mirror it as he unlatches the locks.

“Some midnight practice?” Tendou asks automatically, and Taichi is already grabbing his volleyball.

In fact, he’s already in his workout clothes, because he sort of saw this coming. But the predictability isn’t unwelcome, far from it. It’s just how they are. They grow together each day, following in each other’s steps and keeping track of every stumble.

This probably counts as a stumble, but it hardly feels like one, not with Tendou looking at him like that.

Taichi could let the emotions get to him, could pull Tendou inside and rant about his parents until they fall asleep, safe together.

But they had plenty of time for that, for now…

For now, he wanted to play the sport he loved with the boy he loved, and nothing was going to stop him.

He tugged on his tennis shoes excitedly, meeting Tendou at the window with a swift kiss. He let it warm his body, the pleasant chill travelling up his spine like it never failed to do.

He didn’t let Tendou chase after more kisses, like he always tried to. Again, plenty of time for that later. The redhead pouted, but matched Taichi’s grin, because he knew that just as well as Taichi did.

“Let’s go,” Taichi whispers, clutching Tendou’s hand, something which is like breathing to him. The touch is returned automatically, and with that, they disappear into the night, carefree.

Briefly, Taichi’s mind returns to his previous problem. His expression, or lack of one, isn’t something he can probably ever fix. It’ll be annoying yeah, and people will never stop whispering or talking about how upset he always looks.

But right now, he knows they’re wrong. His grin is bright enough to blind, and he feels so many things at once, more than he can truly comprehend.

So yeah, he doesn’t care. As long as his teammates know who he is on the inside, as long as Tendou can read him like an open book, Taichi knows he’ll never have to worry.

He has what he needs, and he’s sure to gain more. But in that moment, it’s more than enough for him. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!
> 
>  [Tumblr](http://its-love-u-asshole.tumblr.com/)  
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/itsloveuasshole)


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